Macarthur FC 0 Sydney FC 3
A glimpse of the real Patrick Wood, outsmarting the defence to run on and bury the final goal, left older Sydney FC fans rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Was this peak Zinedine Zidane, the shorn head and lolloping stride, in our fever dream at Campbelltown Stadium? The hottest day in football-supporting memory maybe put a dent in what was already a very good crowd for the Bulls, and those who didn’t make the trip certainly missed out on something special this evening. Adding to Piero Quispe’s first goal for the club and a sublime header from Victor Campuzano, Wood’s strike was the icing on the cake as Ufuk Talay’s men outsmarted and outfought their opponents in a statement victory.
Understandably, there had been doubt about this game. After listening to ABC radio all day, driving to and from the Upper Hunter, with the women’s A-League game in Newcastle moved to avoid the heat and other sport games being shelved completely, a trip down to Lumeah in 43-degree heat may have proved fruitless. However, a really smooth and quick journey down the M5 had us in the rat cage car park with over an hour to spare and we headed into the magical air-conditioned oasis of Wests for a quenching drink. The 1994 rugby league fixture on the gigantic screen was finally replaced by the A-League from AAMI Park and we saw the last five minutes of Western Sydney’s surprise win before heading back through the pokies haven and back through the car park to the away gate on Pembroke Road.
The crowd at the gate was substantial as the security wanding of every fan was being conducted, and metal water bottles and cans were being confiscated. Rules is rules, I guess. There was no rush to get inside anyway, as it was just too hot to be standing in the full sun of the away corner, and most fans took refuge in the concourse or on the edge of the athletics track that was in shade of the evening sun. As kick-off approached, we made our way tentatively down into the beaming sun. Macarthur FC played their new rev-up song “We will rock you” as the players came onto the field, nothing new about that, and the undercurrent of feeling was a desire to put the pink-shirted Bulls in their place. We’ve had mixed results here, notable victories, frustrating performances, and today’s conditions were a complete X-factor. Watching the action would be a little tricky in the first half and bucket hats were de rigeur. The call out from the Cove capo to squash down to the front was ignored, being close to other bodies on a day like this not exactly high on the list.
It was tricky to watch throug the blazing sun. The classy Paul Okon-Engstler was yellow-carded in the opening exchanges, but we couldn’t tell what for – it must have gone to VAR as there was a bit of a delay with the resulting free-kick. The freshly-shaved Harrison Devenish-Meares, trying to out-style Paddy Wood, was in the thick of the action early on, bravely out up our end to foil what looked like a glorious chance in front, and he dived full stretch to see out a curling shot from the busy Bernardo Oliviera cutting in from the far side.
Sydney took the lead with what looked like a good move. Wood stroked the ball out to Rhyan Grant on the right and his low ball in was controlled by Quispe, who had plenty of time to shoot past Filip Kurto for 1-0. It seemed too easy, surely there was a flag or something, but no, Sydney FC 1-0 up and looking good. Okon-Engstler was superb in the middle, he doesn’t put a foot wrong, while the forward play was a little cagey. Wood then found himself with time and space on the edge of the area when a half-clearance dropped his way and tested Kurto, full stretch along the ground, with Tiago Quintal unable to force home the rebound from an impossible angle. The half ended with Grant hanging in the air to meet a header at the far post wich hit the side-netting – it was probably all under control by the Macarthur keeper, but it was close all the same. What a half from Sydney. Controlled. Relaxed. Thoughtful.
It was time to head down to the water-refill station behind the home end to wait patiently to fill up, a lot of people having the same idea and not trusting the tap water in the toilets. The sun had disappeared now after making us squint for the first 45 minutes, and a cool change had come through just before half time, handing a wind advantage to the Sky Blues. Perhaps we could build on the slender 1-0 lead?
The players were out ready to start while the nicotine addicts were still chuffing away in the conourse, and the reduced Cove was back in full song on kick off. A great move by Wood and Grant saw a ball fizzed into the penalty area where a Macarthur defender miskicked and sent the ball goalwards. I was already in the air in celebration as the ball flew past the far post – so close. We didn’t have to wait very long for the second goal, Grant upended on the touchline next to us and an expert free kick from Ben Garuccio found Victor Campuzano running in, his glancing header bouncing beyond Kurto for 2-0. Total dominance and a lovely goal. This evening was turning into one of the best!
Youlley was maybe lucky not to escape further sanction for a lunge when he lost control of the ball, and with an hour gone Wood moved on to a fine flicked header from jack-in-the-box Quispe. There was no danger, but Wood outfoxed the first defender and his power took him past the second to tee up a shot. The finish was devastating and he raced to the Cove in celebration. Not a lot will be talked about this goal, but it was brilliant, Brazilian Ronaldo at his best, the acceleration unexpected, incredible and the finish first class. Couldn’t be happier for the fella. A cheeky pull on Luke Brattan’s shirt after the former Sydney man had got the better of him was Wood’s next contribution, but he got away with it. The expectation was for more goals, such was the dominance and the relaxed way Sydney were scything through the Macarthur defence. Garuccio danced along the goal line to fire in a low cross that was well saved. Quintal blazed over when well-placed. The Cove delivered an extended edition of Forza Sydey FC, then had a call and response with the adjacent bay which was interrupted when Akol Akon almost scored following up Campuzano’s fierce shot that hit the bar. There was a totally incongruous Barmy Army shout as the beers took hold.
Enormous substitute Harry Sawyer had a deflected shot that Devenish-Meares tipped over at the far end, and the Bulls did have the ball in the net for a consolation, but the jeers that met the assistant referee’s flag confirmed that there was an offside somewhere in amongst it all. Stand up if you love Sydney was the call and the whole of the stand was on its feet. That presented the opportunity for the best We Are Sydney in memory, although the Cove do tend to deliver it too quickly these days in the parts of the chant that have no drum to regulate the beat. The final whistle blew in the background, the fans celebrated, the players waited to come over to their adoring fans.
Akol Akon was instructed to leave his personal celebrations with friends and family until after the linking of arms, Harrison Devenish-Meares asked the Cove to wait patiently until everyone finished their post-match duties, hollering at whoever was being interviewed to hurry up. Sydney til I die was the serenade as the players rejoiced with the Cove and the majority of the team headed straight back over to the tunnel, HDM, Tiago Quintal and Marcel Tisserand making the most of the fan engagement, along with talented youth goalkeeper Alexander Zaverdinos, a new face to most.
The mood was buoyant. The temperature was maybe 20 degrees cooler now, and the Cove spilled back onto Pembroke Street into the night. Great to see the lost property table in action at the exit, those water bottles that had been confiscated now available for picking up – alas a number would have been forgotten. The exit from the Soviet-era car park was less traumatic than it could have been and we were off back to North West Sydney with a clear run home.
Tonight showcased the best of Sydney FC. Off the field the fans braved the searing temperatures to make the pilgrimage and enjoyed themselves immensely. On the field, Sydney were patient, calculated and ruthless, and the coming together of players and fans at the end was a special moment. Following Friday’s downer with the women’s team, this was the antedote we’d all hoped for. Forza Sydney FC!